


big enough for two

by tonystarktrash



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Break up sex, Captain America: Civil War (Movie), F/M, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Pepperony Week, Post-Break Up, Sexual Content, Sharing a Bed, Tony Stark Has A Heart, they miss EACH OTHER SO MUCH GODDAMN IT!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-31 04:49:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20109403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonystarktrash/pseuds/tonystarktrash
Summary: He can’t believe he’s sunk this low – but hacking her calendar had been child’s play. Pepper’s password is always Louboutins43? – though sometimes she drops the question mark. But he has to see her, because seeing her will allow him to patch this wound in his chest, even if it’s only temporary. Even if he walks out of this conference worse off, his wound now fatal, heart torn to shreds. Pepper could hardly stand being on the phone with him – anyways, he’s beginning to think that she hates him.That’s why she’s avoiding you, Stark. She couldn’t wait to be done with you. You should go home.sharing a bed for pepperonyweek2019! also a lil bit nsfw. oops!





	big enough for two

Pepper Potts and Tony Stark had quietly broken up three months ago – the press hadn’t even gotten word of it until four weeks after it had happened. Tony’s not sure where the leak had come from - somewhere inside of Stark Industries, he’s sure – but he has FRIDAY running scans. He wants whoever it was to be strung up against a post and whipped, but he would settle for them being fired.

He has not spoken to Pepper in fourteen days, eight hours, three minutes, and thirty seven seconds. His hands clasp together, squeezing tightly, doing his best to ignore the gaping wound in his chest. No one else could see it, no one can hear his blood as it drips onto the glass top of the conference table. Pepper is not at this seminar – Tony had come to this seminar specifically because he thought that Pepper would be here. She’s at this conference, he knows that for certain, he had wandered by the name-tag station this morning and seen the small square of laminated paper attached to a bright blue lanyard. Virginia Potts, CEO of Stark Industries. After a quick cup of coffee, he had made another pass at the table, and her name-tag was gone.

He can’t believe he’s sunk this low – but hacking her calendar had been child’s play. Pepper’s password is always Louboutins43? – though sometimes she drops the question mark. But he has to see her, because seeing her will allow him to patch this wound in his chest, even if it’s only temporary. Even if he walks out of this conference worse off, his wound now fatal, heart torn to shreds. Pepper could hardly stand being on the phone with him – anyways, he’s beginning to think that she hates him. _That’s why she’s avoiding you, Stark. She couldn’t wait to be done with you. You should go home._

But he doesn’t, because if he goes home – not Stark Tower, that’s where Pepper lives now – but to the Avengers compound, he will only be able to think of her. Plus, there will be ever increasingly furious voicemails waiting for him from Thaddeus Ross. He spends the rest of his day effortlessly socializing with conference-goers, wowing them with his knowledge of arc reactor technology, but he’s never as committed to the conversation as those that crowd around him. He’s always keeping his eye out for a flash of copper hair, bright green eyes, a brilliant smile. Red lips he’d kissed until his own were covered in lipstick. Towering sharp heels that had brushed against his calves when she wore them to bed – at his breathless request. 

He doesn’t ask FRIDAY to search for her, because that feels like cheating. He does, however, scroll through the conference’s tag on Instagram as he eats his dinner. He bites down hard on his fork when he sees the picture, teeth grinding against the metal. Pepper, her expression serious, standing at a lectern. She’s wearing a gorgeous white dress, one Tony has never seen before – and that terrifies him. Things in Pepper Potts’ life are changing, even little things like her wardrobe, and he had no idea. _But she’s here. She’s here. _

There are too many conference attendees, though, damn them all and their bleeding hearts. Tony prowls around the ballroom until well past midnight, a glass of scotch in his hand, but he can’t find her. Eventually, he gives up, and returns to the lobby of the hotel. 

“Tony Stark, checking in.” 

The attendant types in his name on the computer and frowns, “We have a room for Stark Industries, sir. The penthouse suite?” 

Tony waves his hand, wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed. “Yeah, that sounds right.”

The attendant hands him a plastic key and makes a note on her computer. “We can have your bags brought to you?”

“Yeah, that’ll be great – just have them let themselves in, I’m gonna hop into the shower.”

Tony leans his head back against the metal wall of the elevator, the plastic key dancing between his fingers as his brown eyes fixate on the slowly increasing illuminated numbers. The elevator chimes, the doors slide open, and Tony’s shoes sink into plush carpet. 

The lock on the hotel room door chirps and lights up green when he swipes the card, and Tony yawns as he steps into the room. It’s dark, and instead of turning on the light, he navigates blindly through the foyer and kitchen area, nearly tripping over a coffee table. He reaches the bedroom, hand brushing over the soft duvet, and continues on.

The bathroom is huge, there’s even a tiled ledge in the shower for him to sit on, should he want to take a quick mid-shower break. He eyes the claw-foot bathtub thoughtfully, and then shakes his head. He and Pepper were fond of baths, both of them fond of the opportunity to cuddle, and Tony fond of the opportunity to pour an extreme amount of bubble bath (at least half the bottle) into the water. 

Instead, he strips out of his suit and gets into the shower. The hot water beats against the tense muscles of his back, and Tony rests his forehead against the glass door, closing his eyes. It would be so easy to fall asleep standing up, and the sooner he falls asleep, the sooner a new day begins – and a new opportunity to see Pepper. He scrubs his hair with shampoo, squeezing out the entirety of the small bottle provided to him by the hotel – and it stings in his eyes and burns on his tongue, but it keeps him awake.

Tony staggers naked out into the suite, dripping water everywhere, navigating in the dark to the front door. He curses as he walks into the sharp edge of his suitcase, hand immediately going between his thighs, groaning at the bright flash of pain. He sidles away from the suitcase and bumps into another one – and that’s mysterious, because Tony had only brought one suitcase, and he had packed it in such a rush this morning that he’s not even sure what’s inside. Groin still aching, he reaches out hesitantly and runs his palm over the wall until he finds a light switch. In front of him are three suitcases, only one of which belongs to him. Usually, Tony would call down to the front desk – but he believes he’s just given himself testicular torsion, and really, the front desk will realize their mistake soon enough and come fetch the stray suitcases without waking him up – right? 

He turns the light off, grabbing the handle of his own suitcase, and drags it back into the bedroom. He unzips it quickly once he has it flat against the floor, and kicks the other side of it away. Tony reaches in, frowning, and grabs a pair of briefs. Shimmying into them as he stumbles over to the bed, he barely has them up over his ass when he falls face first onto the duvet. He lets out a satisfied groan, pushing himself onto his back, the bed forming around him. 

Tony brushes his wet hair off of his forehead, yawns, and reaches out to silence his cellphone where it rests on the nightstand. He doesn’t even bother getting under the duvet, the thought of expending even the slightest amount of energy to pull it up over him exhausts him. Instead, he turns on his side, pulls a pillow close to his chest, and drifts off.

He’s about to descend into a very wonderful dream featuring Pepper Potts (they always do), when the light to the bedroom flicks on, mercilessly bright. 

“Jesus, can’t you just take the suitcases and go?” Tony groans, pressing the pillow over his face.

“Tony?”

_Holy shit. _Pepper sounds confused, exasperated, and angry all in one go. Tony slowly drags the pillow away from his face, blinking sleepily at her. The first thing he notices is that her red lipstick is smudged, and jealousy roars to life in his chest – was she getting in so late because she had spent her evening kissing another man? Sure, she could have smudged her lipstick on the rim of a glass – but is that likely? The second thing he notices is that the white dress she’s wearing clings to her curves sinfully, and he swallows slightly, his briefs feeling that much tighter.

To her credit, Pepper keeps her eyes on his face rather than looking at the developing situation happening between his legs. 

“What in the hell are you doing in my room?”

Tony quickly grabs the pillow and places it on his lap as he sits up, a flush spreading down his neck and over his chest. He has not spoken to her in fourteen days – and he has so much to tell her – starting with _I miss you. I love you. I was wrong. _He was hoping to say all of that without an erection.

“I — _your _room?”

“Yes,” Pepper throws up her hands, covering her eyes. “You — this room is for Stark Industries!”

“I am Stark Industries,” Tony argues, rubbing the edge of his jaw thoughtfully with his fingertip. “At least – Aw, Pep, I’ll tell you what happened. I bet the front desk girl didn’t know that we were… and she just assumed…”

Pepper peers at him between parted fingers, and Tony knows that her palms are covering her blushing cheeks – which is a shame, he loves to make her blush.

“I’ll go,” Tony says suddenly, pillow slipping from his lap as he gets to his feet. Pepper’s gaze dips down for all of two seconds, and he watches as she bites her bottom lip harshly and looks over at the window – not at him.

“The hotel is sold out,” Pepper shakes her head, “You wouldn’t be able to get a room, especially this time of night. I’ll sleep on the couch, it’s fine.”

“No,” Tony laughs, “Absolutely not. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“We both know that you’ll be miserable if you try to sleep on the couch,” Pepper says quietly, “Your back will be hell tomorrow.”

Tony sighs, because she’s right. He sits back down on the edge of the bed, looking over the expanse of it thoughtfully. “Well… I mean… This bed is massive. Big enough for the two of us, hell, it’s probably big enough for at least five. I’ll stay on my side, you stay on yours.” 

“That is a terrible idea,” Pepper says slowly, and Tony glances down and sees that she’s dragging those two mysterious suitcases in with her as she edges into the bedroom more. “You’re a terrible sleeper.”

Tony rests his hand over his heart, “I do so swear not to toss and turn.”

Pepper sighs and her exasperation is familiar and adorable. “Fine. Only because there is no other agreeable option.”

“Yes, Ms. Potts,” Tony nods seriously, getting under the duvet and pulling it up to his chin. He bites at his bottom lip for a moment, hoping that the sting of it is enough to keep him from opening his big mouth. “It’s good to see you, you know.” 

Pepper pauses on her way to the bathroom, Tony watches her shoulders tense, watches as her hands form fists at her sides. “I —…”

Tony closes his eyes against the pain, this is a stupid idea – he should have taken the couch – better yet, he should have just left.

“It’s good to see you too, Tony,” Pepper says softly as she closes the bathroom door behind her.

Tony listens to the water run as Pepper takes a shower, thinking of all the times he had come home to the tower and heard that noise, slipping into the shower with her and surprising her. She always smiled and kissed him, and got a bit distracted. Not tonight. 

Under the duvet, Tony is starting to feel a little overheated – he reaches down and pinches the skin of his thigh until his eyes water – but it’s no dice. A night spent in a bed with Pepper Potts for the first time in several months opens a realm of possibilities for his imagination, each one more risqué than the last. _Nothing is going to happen tonight. She broke up with you. You chose Iron Man and the Avengers over her. You think that turns her on? Don’t be stupid. _

Pepper emerges from the bathroom, her auburn hair done up in a messy bun, and she’s wearing very sensible pajamas. Long, blue striped pajama pants – and a white cotton top that is so thin that Tony can see her nipples. His hand relaxes against his thigh, there’s no use pinching himself – he’ll just have to deal. 

The mattress dips as Pepper climbs onto it, lying down miles away from him on the other side of the bed, seeming very stiff.

“How was your day?” Tony asks cautiously, looking over at her while she turns out the bedroom light.

“I have to be up early in the morning, Tony,” Pepper says sharply, “I don’t want to talk. Just go to sleep.” 

The wound in his chest opens a little wider at that, and he opens his mouth to respond – but he knows that will just make it worse. Instead, he rolls onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. His hand rises out from under the duvet, resting it between them.

He thinks Pepper has fallen asleep after a few long minutes, and shifts on the bed – he can smell her perfume, and the thoughts he’s having right now are not conducive to sleep. It’s going to be a long night. 

He tenses when he feels her fingertips brush down his forearm, trailing over tense muscles and running over the path of his veins. Her hand comes to rest on top of his, warm and soft. Tony swallows. 

They turn to face each other at the same time, her lips pressing to his hungrily. Tony’s arms move to wrap around her tightly, pulling her to him, and she gasps against his lips at his sudden possessiveness. 

_I miss you. I love you. I was wrong. _

Pepper’s tongue is hot against his, and her mouth tastes of mint and alcohol from her mouthwash, so strong that his eyes are watering. She sighs as he presses her down onto the mattress, parting her legs so that he can slot his body between them. Her fingers brush through his damp hair, tugging it gently, moaning quietly as Tony pulls his lips from hers to kiss down the column of her throat.

She lets out a breathy sound as Tony’s tongue trails hotly over her skin, her fingers curling in his hair, her head tipping back against the pillow invitingly. His goatee scratches over her soft skin, and her hips rock up against his demandingly. 

“Tony,” Pepper breathes. “Oh, Tony.”

She arches up under him with a muffled cry when his tongue trails over her nipple through the fabric of her pajama top, and her perfectly manicured nails dig into the skin of his scalp.

“Please,” she gasps. “Tony.”

Tony pulls her shirt up over her head, her hands falling away from his hair and ranging down his back, every touch greedy. She shoves his briefs down over his thighs, her legs splaying wider as he tugs her pajama pants down in turn. 

When he sinks into her, she cries out his name, and Tony buries his face against her neck. He’s home — this is home, here with Pepper, her hot and tight around him, her fingers bruising his skin.

“I love you,” he murmurs breathlessly, hips snapping forward. “God, I love you.”

It’s passionate, and messy, and desperate. His skin sticks to hers with sweat, and Pepper is breathless at the furious pace he’s set – her hips rise to meet his thrusts each time.

When she comes, she cries out his name again, her voice hoarse. Tony’s lips press to hers as he spills into her, his body shuddering, her fingers stroking down the damp skin of his back. 

“I love you,” Pepper says quietly, and it sounds like she’s crying.

Tony’s tongue trails over her bottom lip, feeling how it has swelled from the abuse of his teeth. She’ll have to cover up the mark he’s sucked in the base of her neck with makeup tomorrow. Or maybe she won’t.

“Pepper…” His hands raise from her hips to frame her face, blindly brushing away tears from her cheeks.

_I miss you. I love you. I was wrong. _

He presses his forehead to hers, groaning quietly when he pulls out of her, her thighs tightening around his hips for a moment before she relaxes into the mattress.

He rests his head against her chest like he’s always done, and her arms raise to wrap gently around him like she’s always done. Her heart is still racing against his ear as he falls asleep.

* * *

When he wakes, they are tangled up together, Pepper’s head resting on his chest instead. Her fingers are curled over his chest protectively, and for the first time in months, the wound that their break-up had left behind is gone. He’s whole.

Gently, he brushes his fingers through her tangled hair, wanting to convince himself that this isn’t a dream. He’s sore, but in a good way, and he smiles slightly as he recalls the night they had shared. _So much for just go to sleep, huh, Pep? _

He carefully shifts her off of his chest so he can reach over for his phone, and she sighs quietly, her hand slipping from his chest.

Tony’s eyebrows furrow as he stares down at the screen, notification after notification to scroll through. The most recent one is a text from Steve Rogers.

**FUBAR in Lagos. SOS. **

Tony clicks one of the news notifications – ‘Avengers Disaster in Lagos – dozens dead, hundreds injured’. He swallows, reaching up to rub at his forehead. _Christ, what a mess. I have to go fix this. _

He gets out of bed quietly, reaching behind him to rub at the scratches Pepper’s nails had left behind on his shoulders. Tony glances suddenly at the mirror above the vanity on the side of the room, and he sees green eyes staring at him. He meets her gaze for a moment, and then looks away. Pepper inhales sharply, her fingers grasping at the duvet, pulling it over her protectively.

_I have to, Pep, don’t you understand? They’re my friends — my family – they’d do the same for me, right? _

She is offering him a choice again, and as he pulls his briefs up over his legs with shaking hands, he knows he’s making the wrong one. He chooses Iron Man over Pepper every time, and today is no different.

Pepper is silent as he gets dressed – and he wants her to scream at him, to throw things at him, to tell him that she hates him. But she says nothing, and that’s worse. 

He staggers out of the suite with his suitcase dragging behind him, the elevator doors shutting softly behind him. Tony nearly drops his sunglasses as he tries to put them on, the frames scrape over the soft skin of his temples as he shoves them forcefully onto his face.

The wound in his chest is deeper now, it’s punched all the way through his back – blood is dripping everywhere, he can’t breathe. _That was it. We’re done. I’ve ruined it. Oh, God, Pepper, I’m sorry. _

He crosses the street blindly, not hearing the cars as they honk at him, or the squeal of brakes as one barely avoids hitting him. He throws himself behind the wheel of his Audi, angrily flipping the indicator down, trying to wipe the windshield clear of the rain. 

His hands slam on the steering wheel, horn blaring – and it’s not until he lifts them away from the leather to touch his cheeks does he realize that it’s not raining outside. The world is so blurry and unfocused because he is crying.


End file.
